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Friday, October 4, 2013

LEARNINGS FROM TRAINING: THE MAKINGS OF A MOTHER TURNED TRAINER

“The moment we stop learning is the moment we start failing.”

            When I saw the opening for a trainer in VCC-Link, I was not really looking for a job.  As a mother of two, I was happy then working from home for a year as an English tutor.  But something sparked in me that day and I just could not set aside that sort of “calling” I felt when I saw the posting.  It had always been my dream to train; it was the same reason I entered the call center industry way back in my College days in the first place.  I remember looking at my past trainers in the call center thinking, I can do that; someday I will do that.  And so, that posting made me feel that maybe, after a lot of reroutes, that was it. That was the chance.

            To be honest, I really thought my chances were slim.  I really thought, in my own assessment, I kicked ass (sorry for the expression) during my interview, but Sir Paolo did not seem convinced.  He had a lot of rebuttals, and no matter how hard I tried to rebutt his rebuttals, his face still did not look pleased.  I remember him saying, “If we call you, then good. If not, we found someone else.” I told my husband then, well at least I tried. But I had not even left Cityland then when Ms. Marianne called and told me that I had to do a demo class.  And so after several more processes, the mother/tutor became a trainer.

            Training was everything I hoped it would be and more.  I was in my element.  I felt alive. It was the opportunity to meet a lot of people from very different walks of life; to know their stories, their experiences, their goals and dreams and seeing them slowly reach their dreams.  It was seeing the changes in them, and for some, the complete metamorphosis, from a dreamer to a go-getter.  It was far more rewarding than I have ever hoped for; the endless gratitude, the appreciation, the tokens of thanks, the new friendships, the privilege of having a hand in changing someone's life.  I got all these from being an in-house trainer in Bayan Academy for VCC-Link.

            During my last class, I had my trainees write a paragraph on why they chose to stay in training.  It was all the same great reasons that made me strive to work hard for seven months, only that time it was different because it was going to be the last time that I can get to do that, the last group I was going to watch achieve their dreams.  That was enough to make me a bit emotional. Even yesterday, towards the end of the day, fixing my things, it made me emotional because I was not just leaving a job, I realized I was closing a chapter of my life that meant so much to me.

            So I guess, my greatest learning from being an in-house trainer is this: it is not just a job that you do to earn a living, it is in fact, sharing what you know and then influencing others to get to a goal, or to improve and enhance themselves.  The rewards that I will bring with me as I leave is not the material sort, not the self-serving benefits of finding better careers or opportunities.  It is the sort that will stay with me long after everything else is gone, which is the privilege to have influenced others even in the simplest of ways. My Facebook page has been brimming with thanks lately, whether it be through a public greeting or a private message, from trainees past who learned about me leaving. Some of them went out of their way to visit (actually, they often do). These are things that I definitely did not expect, but because of these, I am leaving with joy that I succeeded in aspects that truly matter to me.

            Each trainee I have met enriched me in different ways.  Whether they be young or old, I learned from each and everyone of them because they all have their experiences, they all have their strengths to share.

            That brings me to another great learning which is RESPECT; respect for anyone no matter the age, educational attainment, social status, or any other demographical make up there is. Each one of them deserved my respect because they would always have something that they are better at than me.  A way to practice this is through listening; I have to make it a point to listen to everyone when there is something they want to say.

            Also another learning that I want to impart is this and this is important: We should not count what we have already done and then expect returns equivalent to what we have counted.  Often, this rouses issues because people would often think, I deserve this, I don't deserve that. I have observed this a lot from different people, not just in this company.  This often leads to thinking that they deserve more but they are not getting it so they would NOT DO more.  This is disastrous because it veers us away from doing what really matters, and that is to deliver excellent performance each and every single time, not because you will be paid or rewarded for it, but because it is your job and you're proud of it.  I apologize but I would like to quote a previous employer from whom I also learned a lot, our client, Accenture, “High Performance Delivered.”  Doing a great job all the time not for anything else but because it is your job to perform.

            And so I say goodbye. Though sad to leave training, I feel like I have my own small personal wins as well.  I am happy to have been able to contribute in my own simple ways.

            For that, I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Kids in Paint

Recently, I've been having a lot of fun with apps (don't blame the stay at home mom; she never gets to go out  and have fun! haha!).  Yesterday, my younger brother paid us a visit with his new Samsung Galaxy Note II.  I just wanted to share these pics he made of my kids via the S Paint.




Saturday, January 19, 2013

Lovin' this App

I took a lot of pictures today.  Why?  Well aside from the fact that moms really love taking pictures of their kids or food (or some of their housework for pete's sake), I am really enjoying this camera app that I downloaded from Google Play the other day. 

I mentioned before that I just got my first smartphone some days ago and most probably, a lot of you are already users of Camera 360.  This app in itself is nice... it's okay but what I'm really hyper about is an extension called Fantasy for Camera 360 which was inspired from Ben Heine's work, 'Pencil vs. Camera.'

Here are some of the pics I took:





All of them are just for testing/fun purposes so forgive the poor/non-concept of my pics.  I haven't had the chance yet to really put this app to good use but I hope I'll get the chance to soon.

As for Camera 360 in itself, I liked how it made my chicken fingers look really golden with the use of the HDR effect.


I'm actually going out of town soon so I can't wait to use these apps to take pictures.

What apps are you enjoying right now?

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Cheating is Allowed

If you're anything like me, I take cooking for my family seriously.  I believe that the main obligation of feeding my children is mine.  Don't get me wrong, occasionally of course, we eat out or have food delivered or buy take-outs.  For me though, it is still best for my kids to eat food that I cooked.  Besides, Dad loves my cooking.  He goes home everyday for lunch (or dinner, depending on his shift that month) even though there are lots of restaurants or food stalls in and near his office (of course it helps too that home is a walking distance away).

This means that at times I can get OC (obsessive-compulsive or oc-oc here in the Phils) when cooking.  Back in the days when I still had lots of time and energy, I would always want to do things the long way.  I didn't like making shortcuts and I even enjoyed doing unnecessary things just for everyday cooking (garnishing, additional ingredients, sauces, what have you).  Anything less would make me feel like a cheater or a short-changer. 

Mama Sita's Kare-Kare Mix
photo from http://pinoysarisari.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=127

But I don't have that much time and energy anymore so some shortcuts have actually become my bestfriend. One of them is the Mama Sita's Kare-Kare Mix. A few years back, I would've been too afraid to cook kare-kare*; my tito is from Pampanga and he makes a mean, authentic, kare-kare that I just don't feel worthy to make my own version.  But not anymore, Mama Sita's has made me feel like a kare-kare expert.  Actually, kare-kare has become a regular in our menu since it is so easy to cook with the help of this handy shortcut.  I've tried the other brands available but in my opinion, this is mix is the closest to authenticity you can get without having to grind peanuts.  I use the 100g pack even for just half a kilo of meat so that I can make more of the sauce that Dad loves.  Also unlike other brands, you don't need to add in peanut butter although I still do to make the sauce thicker.  Then paired with our favorite ginisang bagoong brand, it is most  certainly a treat.

kare-kare yesterday

kare-kare with bagoong from some months ago





























*Kare-Kare is one of the most popular Filipino dishes from the province of Pampanga. It is a stew made from peanut sauce with, traditionally ox tripe but often also with pork or beef or even chicken.

**this post is just my opinion and i am in no way endorsing Mama Sita's ;)

Frustrated Mother; Bad Temper

Yesterday, I got really mad at Kuya when we were preparing for school.  I woke him up but he was too sleepy to do anything.  He was just sitting there staring at his french toast until it was time to take a bath.  I didn't know why but I really lost my temper.  I was thinking: it's time to take a bath now and he has not eaten anything and if he will get hungry before recess time and the school bus* will be here soon and we're not ready and the other kids would have to wait. --Yes, all those thoughts simultaneously.  So I just lost it. I was screaming and he was crying as I dragged him to the bathroom.

I hated that it happened.  It does not happen often but when it does, I hate it. I hate it that I started his day like that.  The truth is it wasn't his fault and he did not deserve that. Good thing I had enough sense to talk to him and apologize before he left for school.  I explained that I did not mean to be too angry, that I just wanted him to have already eaten something before he leaves for school.  We finished in time and I just wrapped the toast in a napkin so he can eat it in the school bus on the way to school.

You see, mothers often mean well.  There is usually a good intention behind everything.  In this case, I didn't want my son to be hungry while studying and I didn't want him to still be unprepared when the bus arrives.  The problem is that, mothers sometimes fail at expressing those intentions through a compassionate manner.  That was also my own mom's problem.  Most of the time too, when mothers get really angry, it was not even because of what happened or what the child has done.  A lot of times it was due to her own frustrations about things that caused that situation.

As I've mentioned, it was not Kuya's fault.  This January Dad has to work in the night shift.  I have classes at night until 11pm and because of that, the kids have been sleeping late recently.  It has been a little difficult for them to sleep earlier since there is no parent to tuck them into bed.  I think it is actually unnecessary for Dad to be assigned in the night shift; they have had a morning schedule for years.  Recently, their management started alternating their shift each month and it has been most inconvenient for us.  This is actually the source of my frustration. 

What frustrations do you have that makes you lose your temper?



* here in the Philippines we call every type of school service a 'school bus' even if it usually is just a van

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Smartphone Newbie in 2013

Dad bought me my first ever smartphone, not to mention my first Android phone this afternoon (or yesterday depending on how you see it.)  I know, I know, it's 2013 and almost everyone's got their smartphones if not living on their smartphones.  Actually, we've been putting off buying for many many months now thinking I don't really have that much use for it since I just stay at home and I can just always use my PC for the stuff that 'dumbphones' cannot do.  However, having the need for a back up way to use Skype for my work prompted me to accept the 'call' of the smartphones.  Plus, I am a heavy Facebook user and I want to always check my emails and the big convincing factor of all, I want to be able to read my e-books without having to stay in front of the PC.

Not wanting to spend so much, we opted for the Cherry Mobile Flare which is getting a lot of good reviews right now.  It's no iPhone or SIII but for a stay-at-home mom, it will do.  And for a vintage phone owner in 2013 like me, it's already a big step to the world of Android apps.  I'm not exactly clueless, I'm just not an expert yet.  I know how I want to use it, though, so I immediately downloaded Skype and Kindle (aside from the predictable Facebook). Imagine my delight upon seeing my e-books in there and I couldn't wait to add more.

my new and old phone
my smartphone and my well-loved phone


The dilemma is whether 'to Angry Birds or not to Angry Birds.'  Everyone who knows me why this is so; my son is obsessed! He even knows all the sounds that each type of bird makes, by heart!-- be it Angry Birds Space or Star Wars Angry Birds.  I know sooner or later I may have to yield to his request; he's just too persuasive.

So Android users or Flare users out there, would you be such a sweetheart and give me some tips or suggestions on how to make the most out my new best friend?

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Hello Blogger!

I decided to reconnect with Blogger today.

I am currently blogging at http://kidsandwhatnots.wordpress.com/ although I have just been recently active there again.  Something made me want to start a new blog here, something more localized and I think more open.

I guess it's always an issue when you blog how open you plan to be.  I don't mind talking about myself but for mom blogs, it's a little bit harder because you have to think carefully about how much of your family you're willing to share.

For this blog, I think I'm going to be more open and a little bit more specific.

First, I want to talk a little bit more about myself and my family.  In two weeks, my husband and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary.  We have two kids; Kuya <big brother in Filipino> is four and a half while Baby Girl is three.  Both hubby and I feel so lucky that we have a boy and a girl as we're not planning to have any more children.  Kuya is in Kinder 1 and Baby Girl will enter Nursery this coming school year <June here in the Philippines>.

Currently, I work from home as an English teacher to Koreans and I've been doing this for almost a year now.  I used to do office-based online teaching just after I graduated, then after that I worked for a large BPO company as a medical claims analyst.  

What I can say about working from home is that it is most definitely convenient.  Obviously, there is no need to travel, to bring packed lunch, and best of all to deal with difficult bosses (hehe).  However, there are some sacrifices too; in my case, since I am working just part time right now, of course, my current earnings do not compare to my BPO salary.  Still, I consider this opportunity a privilege because I can earn while being able to take care, and I mean really take care of my kids and our household.

Unfortunately though, not having to leave home has made me disinterested in clothes, shoes and bags; all of which are sources of happiness for me in the past.  Often, you'll finds me in short-pants and T-shirts; all the better to cook and clean and organize and to play with my kids with.

I have always loved reading ever since I learned how to.  For a few years, I did not have enough time or opportunity to just lean back, relax by my self and read a good book.  But just a few months ago, I found myself being able to do it again.  I guess the kids are growing up and they are not as dependent as they used to.  I feel so much more alive now that I am able to read again.

I know a lot of moms out there that would have the chance to read this would feel that they are reading about themselves.  So if you're one of them, don't hesitate to drop me a line.  I would love to hear from all the stay-at-home/work-at-home moms out there!

me and my family